User:DominatorST/sandbox

Controversy Over the past years Monsanto has faced backlash over their weedkiller Roundup. Roundup weedkiller is used by homeowners and businesses for all their landscaping needs. As individuals used the Roundup weedkiller overtime they got exposed to harmful chemicals from it. Two years ago, in 2018 a company based in German called Bayer purchased Monsanto. Bayer knew they were getting the worlds top weedkiller but they did not have a clue about the backlash it would come with. Lawsuits started pouring in alleging that Roundup or Glyphosate caused cancer. Cases against Monsanto made headlines around the world and on social media. Monsanto has downplayed that Roundup was not harmful and that it did not cause any health issues to the public. However, Monsanto was taken to court on the allegation that their product were causing cancer. In early January of 2020 Bayer faced another round of trial that their weedkiller has chemicals that can cause cancer. The trial consisted of four individuals who have cancer from the town where Monsanto was originally from. "The lawsuit marks the first multi-plaintiff trial in the litigation over whether glyphosate, Roundup’s active ingredient, is carcinogenic, and is the first trial outside of California. It is being held in St. Louis, where Monsanto was headquartered before Bayer bought the company in a $63 billion deal in 2018. The courts did find that Bayer is responsible for causing Bayer is denying all of the allegations they're facing as did Monsanto. Bayer claimed that they will wait for science to workout in the courts, "at the end of the day, this trial should come down to the weight of the science, and we remain confident in the extensive scientific record and regulatory assessments that support the safety of our glyphosate-based herbicides and that they do not cause cancer.

The White House was showing support as well for Bayer as they faced many obstacles. "The Trump administration has announced its support for Monsanto’s court challenge. Last week, the EPA and the Department of Justice filed an amicus brief, stating that the court should overturn the ruling. Bayer was all in for any help it could get to try and somehow win the fight against these allegations. Their help came from a risk study that was conducted by the EPA if Roundup did cause cancer. The risky study in fact was in favor of Monsanto because they paid to get it done. The International Agency for Research on Cancer along side the World Health Organization conducted their own study of carcinogenicity chemicals. The EPA didn't want to do anything with IARC's findings, "not only did the EPA ignore the IARC’s findings, and the underlying research that informed the panel’s conclusion the weedkiller probably causes cancer in people, but some EPA officials may have colluded with Monsanto to try to block the release of another federal government risk assessment. All that trouble Bayer and Monsanto went through to fight and it did not end in their favor. Bayer had to pay over $10 billion dollars in settlements to victims because of Roundup.